The next morning, golden sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains of Jayden’s bedroom. He woke up feeling remarkably rested, the physical toll of the previous night having vanished completely.

Before his eyes fully opened, the familiar, glowing interface of the System materialized in his vision.

[Alert! Subpack members killed multiple targets]

[Total Exp received: +1800]

[Bonded Beast (Skye) has eliminated multiple targets]

[Total Base Exp received: +1500]

[Soul Bond Bonus (x2). I Base Exp has been doubled]

[+3000 Exp received]

[Exp: 12,660/8500]

[You have leveled up]

[Level 18 >> 19]

[+2 stat points has been added to all stats]

[Hp: 880 >> 930]

[Ep: 380 >> 400]

[Exp: 4,160/10,000]

Jayden smirked, swiping the notifications away. Cain was proving to be a ruthlessly efficient commander, and Skye was an absolute menace on whatever alien world she was currently terrorizing. His tamed beasts here in the city were also doing an incredible job. With the amount of Exp he was farming through them, he didn’t even need to go hunting anymore.

He climbed out of bed, brushed his teeth, and washed his face before heading downstairs.

The smell of frying bacon and toasted bread wafted from the kitchen. Harleen, Jacob, Jessica, and Tasha were already seated at the dining table.

"Morning, Jayden," Harleen smiled as Jayden pulled out a chair.

"Morning," Jayden replied, grabbing a piece of toast. He looked around the table. "Where’s Cassie?" He asked.

Tasha paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. "Oh, Penelope came to pick her up early this morning. She said she arrived back on Alpha last night."

Jayden nodded slowly, taking a bite of his toast.

As breakfast continued, Harleen looked across the table at Jayden, a slight frown creasing her forehead. "You know, Jayden, I feel like I barely see you these days. And I’ve noticed you’ve been coming home much later than usual."

Instantly, Jessica and Tasha exchanged a panicked glance.

"Oh, he’s just... hanging out with his friends!" Jessica blurted out a little too quickly.

"Yeah!" Tasha chimed in, nodding vigorously. "He’s been going to the library, too. Lots of studying. Very focused on his academics."

Harleen’s frown deepened into absolute, maternal suspicion. She looked back and forth between the girls. "Why are you two covering for him? What is he actually doing?"

Before the girls could dig a deeper hole, Jacob cleared his throat, setting down his coffee mug. "Relax, honey. Jayden has just been training harder for the upcoming Global Tournament qualifiers. He already told me a few days ago that his schedule was going to be tight and he’d be coming home later." Jacob looked at Jayden, offering a subtle, saving wink. "Right, Jayden?"

Jayden offered a smooth, appreciative nod. "Yeah. I did. The tournament is no joke, Harleen. I have to put in the hours if I want to place."

Harleen contemplated this for a moment, her sharp gaze scanning his face. Finally, she sighed and relented. "Okay. Just... make sure you’re not overworking yourself, alright? You need rest, too."

"I will," Jayden promised.

Breakfast resumed its normal, chaotic flow. Tasha excitedly recounted how she had managed to level up again during a solo dungeon run, while Jessica proudly explained that she was finally getting the hang of the intricate, bladed war-fan Penelope had gifted her.

An hour later, Harleen and Jacob kissed the kids goodbye and left for their respective jobs, leaving Jayden and the girls alone in the house.

The exact second the front door clicked shut, the girls’ casual demeanor evaporated. They swarmed Jayden before he even stood up from the table.

"Are you okay?!" Jessica demanded, her eyes wide.

"Are you hurt? Were you hit anywhere delicate?" Tasha pressed, practically inspecting him for hidden wounds.

Jayden leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "What? No. I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?"

"Because you fought a Level 68 Pioneer by yourself in Carmine City last night!" Jessica hissed, crossing her arms.

Jayden paused. "Oh, that. Well, it wasn’t really—" He stopped, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Wait. How did you know I was in Carmine City last night?"

Tasha simply grabbed the holo-tv remote from the counter and clicked it.

The massive holographic screen in the living room flared to life, tuned to the Global News Network.

[BREAKING NEWS: THE MASKED VIGILANTE STRIKES AGAIN]

The anchor, a polished woman with a grave expression, was speaking rapidly over a montage of blurry, amateur footage.

"...In a terrifying display of lethal force, the unidentified masked vigilante rampaged through Carmine City last night. Reports indicate the vigilante first annihilated over twenty members of the notorious Red Skull gang in an alleyway before moving to the industrial docks, where he confronted and eliminated one of the Black Cobra syndicate’s most powerful Pioneers, Frost."

The footage shifted to a grainy, zoomed-in video taken from a nearby cargo ship. It showed the shadowy silhouette of the vigilante standing over Frost on the edge of a pier.

"...Footage acquired from the docks shows the vigilante using what looked like metallic knuckle-claws to deliver a fatal strike to the Pioneer’s chest, before kicking her body into the freezing waters below. Authorities state the blow was unequivocally fatal and would have undoubtedly killed the pioneer. But sources say her body has yet to be found."

Jayden stared at the screen, acting stunned. He turned back to face the girls, offering a reassuring smile. "As you can see, I’m perfectly fine."

Tasha smacked his arm. "Don’t ’perfectly fine’ us! You should have told us before you went on a mission that dangerous! Frost is an S-Rank Pioneer! She could have easily killed you!"

"I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you guys worrying," Jayden sighed, rubbing his arm.

"It’s normal for us to worry, Jayden!" Jessica argued, her eyes softening. "We care about you. But you going dark and not telling us where you are makes us worry even more. What if something happened and we didn’t even know where to look?"

Jayden looked at their concerned faces and felt a pang of guilt. "You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to let you guys know my movements and whereabouts from now on."

"We’d like that," Tasha nodded firmly.

Suddenly, the news anchor’s voice cut through the room, her tone shifting to one of absolute shock.

"We are interrupting this broadcast to bring you breaking, horrific news out of the Arcadia Continent. Late last night, the ruling family of Arcadia, the de Brees, were attacked by an unknown, highly-powered arsonist."